logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2021
14m 36s

Rewind: The Mandela Effect

CHELSEY WEBER-SMITH
About this episode

In preparation for our upcoming *Weirdest Episode of All Time*, we are rereleasing this minisode on a mysterious phenomenon where large numbers of people remember an event or cultural detail differently than it really was. From the spelling of 'Berenstain Bears' to the funeral procession of Nelson Mandela, people have explored these cognitive discrepancies through the lens of both mass psychology and of course, the multiverse theory. We'll see how the internet expanded these odd mis-memories into an enormous world all their own. Next week, we'll look at the #Elsagate controversy of 2017, when scores of uncanny valley-esque hauntingly inappropriate videos were discovered on YouTube Kids. We'll try to get to the bottom of whether it is a mass conspiracy to hypnotically groom children or the result of an algorithm we no longer control. That's next Monday!


Become a Patron to get access to Chelsey's other podcast Walk with Me


American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith

Sound design by Clear Commo Studios

Produced by Miranda Zickler

Follow American Hysteria on social media:

Twitter: @AmerHysteria

Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast

Find our merch at americanhysteria.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Aug 18
DEAR ABBY AND ANN LANDERS
Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren, also known as Dear Abby, were newspaper advice columnists answering questions and printing statements from their 100 million readers from the 1950s to the early 2000s. The flamboyant, eccentric women behind the columns, Eppie Lederer and Popo Ph ... Show More
1h 13m
Aug 11
Titanic in Real Time
This is a bonus episode from our subscribers-only podcast Hysteria Home Companion. Our associate producer (and my brother) Riley Swedelius-Smith is here to tell us the absolutely wild and little-known story of how news of the Titanic shipwreck traveled to shore as the tragedy was ... Show More
1h 2m
Aug 4
Polybius: The Arcade Conspiracy
This is a bonus episode from our subscribers-only podcast Hysteria Home Companion. I share the history of an 80s urban legend with our producer Miranda Zickler, one about a dangerous video game that appeared in Portland arcades with possible links to the mysterious government age ... Show More
40m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2023
The Unglamorous Truth About Britney Spears
On the show today… It's been confirmed that Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting that occurred on the set of his film, Rust. Here’s everything you need to know. And a viral video of Britney Spears acting “manic” in a restaurant has be ... Show More
20m 5s
Feb 2023
Mischa Barton And Leonardo DiCaprio’s Story Has Been Rewritten
On the show today... Harry Styles was the big winner at this year’s Brit Awards, taking out all four of the big categories including Artist Of The Year. But it’s one line in his acceptance speech that everyone can’t stop talking about. And the world is speculating that Megan Fox ... Show More
16m 9s
Oct 2023
Episode 58: Many Things Finale
In the final installment of Many Things, all members of the family recount their experience of the "final night."Sarah's father reaches out to a First Nations coworker for help, and to his surprise, he tells him that his brother is a sort of medicine man and would be willing to d ... Show More
51m 28s
Mar 2023
THE WATCH: The Last Of Us
Welcome to this bonus episode of The Spill! This month’s episode is one of our most requested episodes EVER. It's all about everyone's favourite game-turned-series The Last Of Us on Binge. In this episode, we talk through the casting process and how another actress almost played ... Show More
59m 42s
Sep 2022
How A Meghan Markle Conspiracy Took Over The Queen’s Funeral
On the show today… Kim Kardashian and Scott Disick are being sued for $40 million for promoting prizes on Instagram that are allegedly part of a fake lottery scam. Here’s what you need to know. And it’s the new celebrity scandal everyone is talking about today. Maroon 5 singer Ad ... Show More
18m 22s
Jan 2023
What Really Led To The Karl Stefanovic And Michael Clarke Fight
On the show today…. The famous co-chairs for this year’s Met Gala have been announced and with the announcement comes a renewed wave of backlash against this year’s theme. Here’s what you need to know. Plus, Gwen Stefani is back in the headlines this week following a wave of back ... Show More
17m 48s
Dec 2022
The Unsettling Story Behind Rihanna’s Baby Photo Reveal
On the show today… In TV news, The Project has revealed its full lineup of new hosts for 2023, following the departures of Carrie Bickmore, Lisa Wilkinson, and Peter Helliar. Here’s who you’ll see sitting at the desk next year. Plus, the first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie mo ... Show More
18m 26s
Jun 2023
Who Are The Visitors & Why Are They Here - Guest : Whitley Strieber
Author Whitley Strieber has endured a lifetime of bizarre encounters with a non-human intelligence. In his 1987 blockbuster "Communion", Strieber described a series of terrifying intrusions by seemingly alien creatures he called The Visitors. The book sold millions of copies, was ... Show More
1h 46m
Mar 2023
The Gwyneth Paltrow Trial Moment That Had Us Screaming
On the show today… This week Variety has published an investigation titled Sebastian Bear-McClard, Emily Ratajkowski’s Estranged Husband and Uncut Gems Producer, Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Multiple Women. Here’s what you need to know about the allegations. Plus, former The B ... Show More
20m 30s
Feb 2023
Inside The New Rihanna Controversies & Conspiracy Theories
On the show today… This week we were gifted a new raft of odd celebrity commercials that we need to unpack immediately, from actors revisiting their most iconic roles to Jennifer Lopez becoming a comedy genius. And after Sarah Jessica Parker posted images from the set of And Just ... Show More
20m 3s